Do lefties, righties benefit differently from power nap? At 'rest,' brain's right hemisphere 'talks' more than left hemisphere does

Date:

October 17, 2012

Source:

Georgetown University Medical Center

Summary:

This study supports the benefits of a power nap. At rest, the right hemisphere talks more to itself and to the left hemisphere than the left hemisphere communicates -- whether the subject is right or left handed. Researchers explain that the brain could be doing housecleaning, classifying data, or consolidating memories, which could explain the power of napping. But could a power nap benefit righties more then lefties?

Share:

Total shares:

FULL STORY

People who like to nap say it helps them focus their minds post a little shut eye. Now, a study may have found evidence to support that notion.

People who like to nap say it helps them focus their minds post a little shut eye. Now, a study from Georgetown University Medical Center may have found evidence to support that notion.

The research, presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, found that when participants in a study rested, the right hemisphere of their brains talked more to itself and to the left hemisphere than the left hemisphere communicated within itself and to the right hemisphere -- no matter which of the participants' hands was dominant. (Neuroscientists say right-handed people use their left hemisphere to a greater degree, and vice versa.)

Results of this study, the first known to look at activity in the two different hemispheres during rest, suggests that the right hemisphere "is doing important things in the resting state that we don't yet understand," says Andrei Medvedev, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Center for Functional and Molecular Imaging at Georgetown. The activities being processed by the right hemisphere, which is known to be involved in creative tasks, could be daydreaming or processing and storing previously acquired information. "The brain could be doing some helpful housecleaning, classifying data, consolidating memories," Medvedev says. "That could explain the power of napping. But we just don't know yet the relative roles of both hemispheres in those processes and whether the power nap might benefit righties more then lefties."

To find out what happens in the resting state, the research team connected 15 study participants to near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) equipment. This technology, which is low cost and portable, uses light to measure changes in oxygenated hemoglobin inside the body.

The study participants wore a cap adorned with optical fibers that delivers infrared light to the outermost layers of the brain and then measures the light that bounces back. In this way, the device can "see" which parts of the brain are most active and communicating at a higher level based on increased use of oxygen in the blood and heightened synchronicity of their activities.

"The device can help delineate global networks inside the brain -- how the components all work together," Medvedev says. "The better integrated they are, the better cognitive tasks are performed."

To their surprise, the researchers found that left and right hemispheres behaved differently during the resting state. "That was true no matter which hand a participant used. The right hemisphere was more integrated in right-handed participants, and even stronger in the left-handed," he says.

Medvedev is exploring the findings for an explanation. And he suggests that brain scientists should start focusing more of their attention on the right hemisphere. "Most brain theories emphasize the dominance of the left hemisphere especially in right handed individuals, and that describes the population of participants in these studies," Medvedev says. "Our study suggests that looking at only the left hemisphere prevents us from a truer understanding of brain function." The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants # RR025786, GM103526 and EB006589). Medvedev and his co-authors report having no personal financial interests related to this study.

Georgetown University Medical Center. "Do lefties, righties benefit differently from power nap? At 'rest,' brain's right hemisphere 'talks' more than left hemisphere does." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 October 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121017141757.htm>.

Georgetown University Medical Center. (2012, October 17). Do lefties, righties benefit differently from power nap? At 'rest,' brain's right hemisphere 'talks' more than left hemisphere does. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121017141757.htm

Georgetown University Medical Center. "Do lefties, righties benefit differently from power nap? At 'rest,' brain's right hemisphere 'talks' more than left hemisphere does." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121017141757.htm (accessed August 2, 2015).

July 29, 2015  Viewing aquarium displays led to noticeable reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, a research team found in the first study of its kind. They also noted that higher numbers of fish helped to ... read more

July 31, 2015  Perfectionistic concerns have a positive relationship with overall burnout and symptoms of burnout, research has found. Perfectionistic concerns can create stress, interfere with relationships and ... read more

July 30, 2015  As high school and college athletes hit the fields and courts in pre-season practice, concussion awareness should be part of their education, experts say, as most concussions happen during practice ... read more

July 4, 2014  Through an innovative approach using a large psychometric and brain imaging database, researchers have demonstrated that the location of language areas in the brain is independent of left- or ... read more

May 2, 2012  The way we use our hands may determine how emotions are organized in our brains, according to a recent study. Motivation, the drive to approach or withdraw from physical and social stimuli, is a ... read more

Apr. 13, 2011  Up equals good, happy, optimistic; down the opposite. Right is honest and trustworthy. Left, not so much. That's what language and culture tell us. "We use mental metaphors to structure our ... read more

Jan. 31, 2011  Most people who survive a stroke recover some degree of their motor, sensory and cognitive functions over the following months and years. This recovery is commonly believed to reflect a ... read more